Suzzzie.

I've lost nearly 40 pounds and the only comments I get from co-workers (who don't know about my band) are random things like "That shirt is too big for you." (!!!) I just wanna scream - THATS CAUSE I LOST 40 POUNDS! Haha. But I don't.

yeah, I tanked this one. I think I did like, just under 200 minutes. Bah. Here's hoping for OCTOBER!

Hey Joeygirl, I feel the same, even though I've lost a bit more then you. I just have SO MUCH to lose that I feel like the normal 2-3 pounds a week is not enough! Lol. I want to lose like 5 a week... which is not normal or healthy for a banded patient. I just stick with it. I'm pleased as pie that I was able to lose as much as I have over the past 3 1/2 months. I can't wait until Thanksgiving - to see much of my family that hasn't seen me since last Thanksgiving (and no one knows about my band) I hope to lose about 20 more by then, even though I'm sure I won't... Hoping for 10 though. It's only six weeks away! Hang in there everyone!

Name...Challenge Start Wt...Current Wt...Challenge Goal...To Go Huntersmom...... 174........... 172....... 159............ 13 SWEETY.......... 202........... 198....... 180............ 18 MJsafari........ 268........... 260....... 238............ 22 captdanbo....... 211........... 211....... 185............ 26 PaulaD.......... 216........... 216....... 199............ 17 Stefanie42467... 206........... 201....... 175............ 26 Suzzzie......... 349........... 337....... 320............ 17 glindab......... 277........... 269....... 250............ 19 MM.............. 242........... 231.4..... 218...........13.4 finallythin..... 254........... 254....... 225............ 29 BeckieT......... 259........... 259....... 239............ 20 Miscontext...... 303........... 303....... 275............ 28 ja9va........... 207........... 199....... 182............ 20 wombat712....... 180........... 174....... 165............ 9 Texasmom5573.... 252........... 252....... 230............ 22 Waters.......... 214........... 213....... 190............ 24 lessnless....... 206........... 195....... 179............ 16 MissDarlene..... 223........... 223....... 195............ 28 o2bthin..........238........... 233....... 215............ 18 insubordination..300........... 296.5..... 283...........13.5 Holliwagz........325........... 315....... 295.............20

I hear ya Holli!! I started this journey at 382. I've been over 300 since my Junior year of high school... I was over 200 when I was about 11 or 12 years old... So I absolutly have NO idea what it would be like to be thin!! I have no clue what I'll look like! A part of me can't even wrap my mind around it. It seems like something that will never happen. Every time I get on the scale and am down another pound I get so excited. Right now I'm weighing in at around 337 (was 333 the other day, but I fluctuate alot during the week) and I haven't been this low weight-wise in about 3 years. Everything is just insanely exciting for me.

No problem Stef! OK, question: WHY do I think I can still eat? Lol. I was hungry, so I decide to fix me a scrambled egg... And i made THREE eggs cause one looked so small and lonely in the pan. Haha! I've probably eaten less than one egg and I'm stuffed. I hope my eyes adjust to my band SOON! I'm tired of wasting food!

Name...Challenge Start Wt...Current Wt...Challenge Goal...To Go Huntersmom...... 174........... 172....... 159............ 13 SWEETY.......... 202........... 198....... 180............ 18 MJsafari........ 268........... 260....... 238............ 22 captdanbo....... 211........... 211....... 185............ 26 PaulaD.......... 216........... 216....... 199............ 17 Stefanie42467... 206........... 201....... 175............ 26 Suzzzie......... 349........... 337....... 320............ 17 glindab......... 277........... 269....... 250............ 19 MM.............. 242........... 231.4..... 218...........13.4 finallythin..... 254........... 254....... 225............ 29 BeckieT......... 259........... 259....... 239............ 20 Miscontext...... 303........... 303....... 275............ 28 ja9va........... 207........... 199....... 182............ 20 wombat712....... 180........... 174....... 165............ 9 Texasmom5573.... 252........... 252....... 230............ 22 Waters.......... 214........... 213....... 190............ 24 lessnless....... 206........... 195....... 179............ 16 MissDarlene..... 223........... 223....... 195............ 28 o2bthin..........238............233........215 ............18 insubordination..300............296.5......283.... .......13.5

Name............Chall. Start Wt........Current......Chall. Goal......To Go alwayscurious........245......................245. .............212..............33 Amelia40...............270.................... 270................240..............30 areellady...............232....................228 ...............212.................16 argon..................162...................160.2 ...............142...............18.2 Ariel....................207...................... 199 ..............182...............17 aussie_jode...........212......................212 .................190...............22 BabygotBack..........164.....................164. ...............145...............19 Babygrl1234...........215......................205 ................190...............15 Becky42................253.....................251 .5.................220............31.5 bekafina.................225.....................2 25.................199.............26 Cherrybomb...........311....................306 ..............291................15 chickatee..............203.....................201 .................175..............26 chocolate_snaps....344......................342... ..........299.................43 cQQlgirl..................225....................2 25................185................40 Chris_NJ................284....................268 ................250................18 cindyluhu...............194....................194 .................180...............14 dacer123...............243....................243. ..............223................20 Denise...................170....................17 0...............155................15 Denise..................244.....................24 4..................220............24 Desertbunnee.........232....................207. .............180.................27 DonnaD................185......................185 ..............170..............15 eclipse..................215.....................2 12... ..............199.............16 faithmd................303.....................303 ............ 283...............16.7 glindab................ 277....................269...... ........250....... .......19 gonnabfree............231..................231. .................205................26 Guinessgirl77..........241.....................241 ...................210.............31 gweniper................253...................243. ...............223................30 hf2havefun...........240......................240. ..............210..............30 ihadenuf................216....................216 ...................190.............26 itsjustducky...........317....................317. ..................297...............20 james2539............235.4.................235.4 ................220.............15.4 jfran……………………….212………………………212……………………..196………………1 6 jglong54...............206....................206. ...................195.............11 jadrad7.................224....................224 .................200..............24 jazzystouch...........246......................246 ...............220...............26 Jeni 85.................237....................231 ...............207................24 joisey....................307....................3 07................290................17 josiebies...............188......................1 80...............165...............15 JulieNYC................155.....................14 9.................136..............13 Kaelin's G-Ma.........272....................272............. ......220.............52 KarenG................. 240.....................234...................225. ...........9 katalin.e................230.....................1 79.................150.............29 Kellymovingon........207......................207 .................187..............20 Kimmie..................296.....................29 0..................270.............20 ladydi............. .....233.....................228.................2 08...............20 legster..................261....................25 1................235...............16 LeslieLee...............216.....................21 6................186...............30 lisa_in_toronto.......180......................180 ................160...............20 losingjusme...........273.....................269. ...............238................31 luvinke..................225.................. ..223..................195..............28 maddog.................230.....................230 ................205.............25 marcar35...............277.....................273 ................250............. 23 mcgreen...............236....................230.. ...............210................26 METALBAND...........187.....................184... ..... .......167..............17 momlambert............207....................207.. ..............185..............22 mpalen.................229.....................229 ................200................29 Peache8887...........330.....................306.. ...............275..............31 pmmegm................248.....................248. .................228..............20 Rainer....................298................... 284................258................26 robgoblin87............279......................27 9...............250..............29 SC2VA.................233...................... 233.................200..............33 sdakotaRN.............254.....................254. ................225..............29 Short C................. 166....................166.................146.. ............20 Soniacan...............198.5..................198. 5.............175.............23.5 Stacy73................259.....................242 ...............230...............12 Sunny112..............215.....................165. ...............140...............25 Suzzzie. ...............349....................337....... ........320................17 sweethot143..........197....................190. .............175.................15 tanderson..............231.....................231 .............199..................32 ToniaPatt …..........286……….....……......283………........2 43.…........……40 UK-Lady...............255.....................223.... ............210...............13 Wannabthin...........231......................222. ..............211...............20 want2beme...........225.....................225.. ............195................30 wen.....................288......................2 84................255..............29 Whosyadaddy.........388.....................369... ..............335.............43 LifeLover..............289.....................289 ... ..............259.............30

WOWZA!! ONE-derland?!?! I'm so jealous! I'll be happy if I ever make it to TWO-terville!! Lol. CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What you need to do is switch your body weight (which is now changing daily!) from pounds to kilograms - NOT mess with the gram/kilogram ratio. That is how the nutritionist figured I needed about 90 grams a day. (of course when I do this it comes out as about 152! There is NO way, thats gotta be unhealthy!!) ANYWAY... Here is a GOOD TABLE that you can convert your weight from pounds to kilograms. THen just rememberto eat 1gram protein for every kilogram that you weigh.

Protein: WhenI went to see the nutritionist she told me that based on my height and weight (which is more than all of you!) I should consume about 90gm of protein a day. ANd my NP just says that I should eat protein, then fruits and veggies - but didn't really give me a number that I recall. Basically, I can eat so little right now that I don't count ANYTHING. I'm happy if I get in my water, and at least 2 cups of total food a day. I have been drinking my veggies and fruit in the form of light fruit juices, which I'm not supposed to do, but I can't eat them... And my hair is falling out... I now take 3 chewable childrens vitamins a day... one at each meal. I don't think they are absorbing well. And today (I know, I whine alot, I'm sorry!) I saw a pizza commercial and I wanted it so bad! Not just the 3 bites I might have been able to manage, but like, the WHOLE thing. Lol. I totally miss binge eating. Please tell me I"m not the only one that wishes I could get a total unfill for just a few days so I could EAT again? haha.

I'm a nurse. Woot.

Whew! Go Stef! You're our very own exercise guru!! Haha. I wish you lived closer to me, I'd pay you to be my trainer!!! So, this morning my scale says 333.8 (15 days ago at my fill I was 349!) I'm so excited about this, but worry that some of it might be muscle loss, cause I can't eat as much protein as I should. :confused: I've been out of protein powder for a week, so I need to stop on my way home today and pick some more up!! Did ya'll know that the V8 Fusion (light!) goes down VERY WELL?!?! Not only is 8oz a full serving of fruit and veggies, but I can drink it almost like I used to!! That means big ... alomst gulps!! Seriously. I drank 2 glasses of it last night just for that reason! It felt good to drink fast again. Lol!! I signed up for the weightloss challenge in my city that I was telling ya'll about the other day. Its hosted by the nutrition center - which is actually just a little Herbalife store. Lol. Of course you don't have to buy their stuff, but they do push it. I was in there and the guy was telling me about a guywho lost over 300 pounds just doing Herbalife... and gave me a pamphlet of people who all lost 100 lbs or more, while he handed it to me he said, "Here, this will be good for you." LIke I don't KNOW that I need to lose over 100 pounds? Haha. Oh well. I won't be buying the Herbalife stuff, cause it's very expensive, and I have a secret weapon already!! (LAP BAND!!) OK, GOtta go to work!! I'm gonna be late!

I'm good today. For some reason thicker liquids go down easily, as long as I sip. I think maybe the water just tries to flush down to quickly or something. I've eaten a yogurt, about 1/4 cup of pulled pork (from Tuesday! Lol!), 1/2 of a chicken breast (in reduced fat alfredo sauce to moisten it up!) 17 m&ms, a carnation instant breakfast drink, 60+ oz water, 8oz of the V8 Fusion (light)... I guess thats it. I swear I will feel like I ate a LOT... like I pigged out, and really I've had very little. Its weird. I used to actually pig out and convince myself I didn't eat much. Lol!! Does anyone else get the hiccups when they eat - when they are full? Cause, omgoodness! It's driving me crazy! - Also, I've never had heartburn before, now I get it all the time! Thank goodness I work in a hospital, I just go to the med room and get me some mylanta! Haha!!! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

I initially only told about 4 people - my best friends. Only one of them is negative about it - but I truely believe that that is only because her insurence wonlt cover it and she is about 200 pounds overweight. She's never been able to stay on a diet longer than a month, and she always had me as a friend that was fatter than her. Anyway... these 4 people told most of their family... which I guess is fine. I don't care too much about that. NO ONE in MY family or ANY co-workers know. I have not lied to them, only mentioned that I've given up fast food and colas, and bread, and... well ALOT. Lol. As I continue to lose weight and they see that I'm not gaining it back in a few months then I'm sure more questions will surface... I'm not too worried about that. I really was only worried that I would be unable to keep the secret, because I am very close to my family!! But I've had 2 aunts and my dad have had the bypass and they've all gained ALL of their weight back, so I don't feel that they would be very supportive. Besides... one of my cousins has now given up fast food and colas too!! I don't want to ruin her own dietary progress by saying "Oh, well I had surgery, but if I could have those things I would!" Lol.

Water: I can drink it, it's just that the first few sips kinda lump up in my throat and I have to wait a minute for them to go down. Lol. All liquids ar ethis way, though thicker liquids like a protein shake go down easier for some reason. I am still drinking about a gallon a day, so I doubt I'm dehydrated. I'm a BIG water drinker!! I just suffer through the pain. And I like the restriction that I have right now cause I can only tolerate a few bites of even the BAD stuff!! I had Cold Stone ice cream on Tuesday night, only ate about 5 or 6 bites and I was giving the rest away to a friend I was with! Lol. NEVER have I given away ice cream!! I know, I know... I need to call for an unfill. But it would be Wednesday before I could get it done anyway... I'll keep you posted. Really, I'm hoping that if I take it easy and quit trying to force things through my band that maybe it'll be OK. Like, it just needs a break or something? Lol.

Yeah, I tried to blame bite size too... but OMG, I've never taken such tiny nibbles in my life! Its crazy. The weird thing in, that after I go through the whole nausea/burping/hiccup routine, I can sometimes get a few more bites in without incident... but usually by then I'm so frustrated that that is the last thing I even want to try! Also, along with the nausea feeling, I also will occasionally feel light headed, almost like I'm going to pass out... Its kinda scary.

OK, serious question for you all... First I will say that I've lost 8 pounds in just under 2 weeks... which I LOVE but... Sigh... do you think I am over-filled? Here's the issue: I do fine with things like nuts, chips, beans, etc... but when it comes to meat like chicken, pork, turkey, beef... etc... I can take about 3 bites and I get really light headed and feel a slight waver of nausea. I've not thrown up, but ran to the bathroom a few time to only end up burping and then having the hiccups for a while. My chest feels really really tight, my eyes water and turn red... OK, I think I know the answer... Lol. But dang!! I don't want to go in for an unfill! This is what I've eaten today: 3 bites of pulled pork (from a BBQ sandwich) 4 bites of chicken 8 Doritos 1 mini chocolate bar (the bite size ones) 1/2 cup baked beans Thats been about the sum of my food for the past 2 weeks... some days I've eaten less... I want to 'tough it out' until my appointment on the 12th, but I don't think I can deal with this. Oh yeah, I haven't been hungry hardly at all, only eating cause I know I HAVE to - thats a totally new experience for me! Also, water kinda hurts, I have to sip it very slowly. My fill didn't start out this tight, it just got worse over the past week... I have 7cc in a 10cc band. what do you all think?

Lol. Thanks Stef! I LOVE penguins! Those are great!

Name............Chall. Start Wt........Current......Chall. Goal......To Go alwayscurious........245......................245. .............212..............33 Amelia40...............270.................... 270................240..............30 areellady...............232....................228 ...............212.................16 argon..................162...................157.8 . .............142...............15.8 Ariel....................207...................... 199 ..............182...............17 aussie_jode...........212......................212 .................190...............22 BabygotBack..........164.....................164. ...............145...............19 Babygrl1234...........215......................219 ................190...............19 Becky42................253.....................251 .5.................220............31.5 bekafina.................225.....................2 25.................199.............26 Cherrybomb...........311....................306 ..............291................15 chickatee..............203.....................201 .................175..............26 chocolate_snaps....344......................342... ..........299.................43 cQQlgirl..................225....................2 25................185................40 Chris_NJ................284....................272 ................250................22 cindyluhu...............194....................194 .................184................10 dacer123...............243....................243. ..............223................20 Denise...................170....................17 0...............155................15 Denise..................244.....................24 4..................220............24 Desertbunnee.........232....................207. .............180.................27 DonnaD................185......................185 ..............170..............15 eclipse..................215.....................2 12... ..............199.............16 faithmd................303.....................303 ............ 283...............16.7 glindab................ 277....................269...... ........250....... .......19 gonnabfree............231..................231. .................205................26 Guinessgirl77..........241.....................241 ...................210.............31 gweniper................253...................243. ...............223................30 hf2havefun...........240......................240. ..............210..............30 ihadenuf................216....................216 ...................190.............26 james2539............235.4.................235.4.. ................220.............15.4 jglong54...............206....................206. ...................195.............11 jadrad7.................224....................224 .................200..............24 jazzystouch...........246......................246 ...............220...............26 Jeni 85.................237....................234 ...............207................27 joisey....................307....................3 07................290................17 josiebies...............188......................1 88...............165...............23 JulieNYC................155.....................14 9.................136..............13 Kaelin's G-Ma.........272....................272............. ......220.............52 KarenG................. 240.....................237...................225. ..........12 katalin.e................230.....................1 79.................150.............29 Kellymovingon........207......................207. .................187..............20 Kimmie..................296.....................29 0..................270.............20 ladydi............. .....233.....................228.................2 08...............20 legster..................261....................25 1................235...............16 LeslieLee...............216.....................21 6................186...............30 lisa_in_toronto.......180......................180 ................160...............20 losingjusme...........273.....................269. ...............238................31 luvinke..................225.................. ..223..................195..............28 maddog.................230.....................230 ................205.............25 marcar35...............277.....................273 ................250............. 23 mcgreen...............236.................... 230.................210................26 METALBAND...........187.....................184... ..... .......167..............17 momlambert............207....................207.. ..............185..............22 mpalen.................229.....................229 ................200................29 Peache8887...........330.....................306.. ...............275..............31 Rainer....................298................... 285................258................27 robgoblin87............279......................27 9...............250..............29 SC2VA.................233...................... 233.................200..............33 sdakotaRN.............254.....................254. ................225..............29 Short C................. 166....................166.................146.. ............20 Soniacan...............198.5..................198. 5.............175.............23.5 Stacy73................259.....................246 ...............230...............16 Sunny112..............215.....................165. ...............140...............25 Suzzzie. ...............349....................341....... ........320................21 sweethot143..........197....................197. .............175.................22 tanderson..............231.....................231 .............199..................32 ToniaPatt …..........286……….....……......283………........2 43.…... .....……40 UK-Lady...............255.....................223.... ............210...............13 Wannabthin...........231......................231. ..............211...............20 want2beme...........225.....................225.. ............195................30 wen.....................288......................2 84................255..............29 Whosyadaddy.........388.....................369... ..............335.............43 LifeLover..............289.....................289 ... ..............259.............30

Name...Challenge Start Wt...Current Wt...Challenge Goal...To Go Huntersmom...... 174........... 172....... 159............ 13 SWEETY.......... 202........... 198....... 180............ 18 MJsafari........ 268........... 260....... 238............ 22 captdanbo....... 211........... 211....... 185............ 26 PaulaD.......... 216........... 216....... 199............ 17 Stefanie42467... 206........... 202....... 175............ 27 Suzzzie......... 349........... 341....... 320............ 21 glindab......... 277........... 269....... 250............ 19 MM.............. 242........... 231.4..... 218...........13.4 finallythin..... 254........... 254....... 225............ 29 BeckieT......... 259........... 259....... 239............ 20 Miscontext...... 303........... 303....... 275............ 28 ja9va........... 207........... 202....... 182............ 20 wombat712....... 180........... 177....... 165............ 12 Texasmom5573.... 252........... 252....... 230............ 22 Waters.......... 214........... 213....... 190............ 24 lessnless....... 206........... 195....... 179............ 16 MissDarlene..... 223........... 223....... 195............ 28 o2bthin..........238............238........215 ............23

Liberty... It's being held through the Liberty Nutrition Center. I called the lady about it today, she said there were no restrictions... of course I didn't ask specifically about WLS. Lol. She said its $30 to enter, they meet every Tuesday evening to weigh and measure and they willh ave healthy Snacks and guest speakers. If you gain a pound during the week you have to add $1 to the 'pot' (well, $1 per pound gained!) and then if you miss a week then you add $5 the next time you come. Lol. I'm trying to get a few of my family members to join up too! I'm going to go sign up and pay tomorrow, then the challenge will start next Tues. I think it will be fun, even if I don't win! It will give me a chance to meet new people and maybe I can find a good exercise buddy or something. Very Exciting!! I flew Southwest too, and the seatbelt fit me with a few inches to spare... whereas when I went to Vegas a few weeks pre-op I had to suck in my gut and still barely fastened the dang belt!! I'm not quite able to get the tray table down, but I wasn't far from it!! Its so neat when something that so many people take for granted FINALLY work for us too!! Ya know what?? I was so busy in the week or so before leaving that time just flew by! I was barely packed before I had to leave for the airport!! Maybe we can meet up next time? I think I'll try to get down there for New Years or maybe sometime in Feb. or March!!

Hey all! I'm finally back from vacation. I had a great time visiting my best friend in Houston!! I will have to work on catching up with ya'll over the next day or so. Eh, maybe I can get it all done tonight if I read fast? Haha!! THis morning the scales said 341.4... before vacation I was still hovering around 345, so I'm pleased. though I won't change my ticker until I go to the doc again. Also... would I be considered a cheater at a weightloss challenge? My city is having a weightloss challenge between Oct 2 and Thanksgiving, $30 to enter, and whoever loses the most % of body fat wins the jackpot - which is variable depending on how many enter. I figure I"m losing weight anyway... may as well try to win some Christmas shopping money while I'm at it! WHat do you think?

I was thinking about the clothing thing yesterday - since I've been shoping lately!! I have some fairly nice clothes that are too big now - 30/32's. I think I'll just ebay them though... since no one here is that big! Hahaha! I love my band!

See, I've heard lots of bad stuff about Southwest, but I've never had a bad experience. I guess I'm just lucky! On one flight home from Vegas about 2 years ago we had the most awesome flight attendant and as we were coming back into KC she got on the intercom thingy and beautifully sang a soft song about coming home from a vacation... I have no clue what it was but I could have listened to her sing all night! OK - And wanna hear something GROSS!?!?! On my way to work this morning I was drinking my protein shake and after about my 3rd sip I sucked a bit into my airway and started coughing. Uh... don't cough while there is still stuff above your band! I totally PBd the protein drink (made with MILK!) all over myself!! It was everywhere! It was think and slimey and gross. I had to turn around and come home to clean up and change and was about 30 minutes late to work! haha!